Rescuers raced against time under harsh conditions to search for survivors trapped in collapsed buildings, two days after massive landslides struck Kerala's Wayanad district.
Local media reports indicate that the death toll may have exceeded 275, although the official count stands at 190. With nearly 200 people still missing, the toll is expected to rise.
Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Thursday declared that those alive had been saved over the past three days.
Rescue efforts have been hindered by a combination of challenges, including treacherous terrain due to destroyed roads and bridges, and a shortage of heavy equipment, making it difficult for emergency personnel to clear mud and huge uprooted trees that fell on houses and other buildings.
While the unconfirmed reports have suggested a total of over 275 fatalities, Kerala Revenue Minister K. Rajan has confirmed that at least 190 people have been killed by the landslides.
According to the Wayanad district administration, the dead include 27 children and 76 women.
More than 225 others have been injured, mostly in the worst-hit areas of Mundakkai and Chooralmala, he said.
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Thursday said the rescue mission in the landslide-hit Mundakkai region of Wayanad could take a few more days, and appointed a cabinet sub-committee of four ministers to coordinate the rescue efforts.
The four ministers will be camping in Wayanad.
Vijayan said Revenue Minister K Rajan, Forest Minister A K Saseendran, PWD and Tourism Minister P A Mohamed Riyas, and SC/ST Department Minister O R Kelu will camp in the district.
The agony and sighs of rescued people linger over the uneasy silence of the dead, buried beneath slush and concrete rubble in the landslide-hit regions of Wayanad. Heart-wrenching images of a father searching for his missing daughter, along with others in similar situations, played out on television screens.
State health minister Veena George said, "256 autopsies have been done. 154 bodies have been handed over to district administration. Bodies found in Nilambur and Pothukal have also been recovered, and autopsies have been completed."
Minister K Rajan, who is coordinating the rescue efforts, said 1,300 personnel from various agencies and the armed forces carried out joint search-and-rescue operations in the area, braving the rains, winds and difficult terrain and without the help of heavy machinery.
He also said that 9,328 people have been relocated to 91 relief camps in the district.
Of these, 2,328 people from 578 families displaced due to the landslides at Chooralmala and Meppadi have been moved to nine relief camps, he added.
Several people remain missing in the landslide-hit region, where rescue operators are contending with adverse conditions, including waterlogged soil, as they search through destroyed homes and buildings for survivors or bodies.
Tea-plantation workers who lived in the estate lanes of Chooralmala and Mundakkai have been the worst-affected by the disaster. While rescue operations are in full swing, it remains unclear how many tea-estate workers and family members died in the disaster.
When reporters asked about rehabilitation efforts, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had said the state's experience with helping people rebuild their lives and livelihoods in the instances of previous natural disasters would be tapped to help the survivors of the Wayanad tragedy Special priority will be given to resume the education of disaster-affected children, Vijayan said, adding that they will be given the opportunity to continue their education wherever they are.
The Madras Engineering Group of the Indian Army on Thursday completed the construction of the 190-ft-long Bailey bridge that will help connect the worst-affected areas of Mundakkai and Chooralmala in Wayanad district which were hit by devastating landslides on Tuesday.
The construction of the bridge started at 9.30 pm on Wednesday and was completed by 5.30 pm on Thursday.
Major General V T Mathew, GOC-Karnataka and Kerala Sub-Area crossed the bridge in his official vehicle after the completion of the construction of the structure, which has a weight-carrying capacity of 24 tonnes.
The Class 24 Bailey Bridge constructed in Wayanad district will connect Chooralmala with Mundakkai over the Iruvanjippuzha River.
Major General VT Mathew, General Officer Commanding, Karnataka and Kerala Sub Area, said on Thursday said that more than 100 bodies have been recovered, adding that over 500 Army personnel are engaged in the search and rescue operation
"We have been here supporting the Kerala government and people since the 30th of July morning. We have recovered 100+ bodies, and the overall body count is much more. We have also rescued so many people," the Major General said.
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan chaired an all-party meeting in Wayanad to address the landslide crisis that claimed over 200 lives. The meeting took place at the APJ Abdul Kalam Memorial Hall in the Civil Station, Wayanad.
CM also noted the challenges faced in bringing in machinery to assist with the rescue operations but highlighted that the completion of the Bailey Bridge has significantly facilitated the efforts.
Meanwhile, the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi and Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra visited Wayanad and took stock of the situation.
Notably, massive landslides caused by heavy rains hit the villages of Mundakkai, Chooralmala, Attamala, and Noolpuzha early Tuesday, destroying several houses, swelling water bodies, uprooting trees, and wiping entire villages off the map.
Heart-wrenching scenes and phone conversations of people crying and pleading to be rescued, trapped in their houses, or stranded were seen after the landslides left a trail of death and destruction in the hill district.
Most of the victims were asleep when the landslides struck between 1:30 a.m. and 4 a.m. Huge boulders and uprooted trees rushed down from Mundakkai to Chooralmala, causing severe damage. The heavy water surge from the hilltop altered the small Iruvazhinji river, flooding everything along its banks. Several houses were destroyed, a temple and a mosque were submerged, and a school building was severely damaged.
Kerala police crack down on fake social media campaigns against disaster relief fund
The Kerala police on Thursday registered 14 FIRs against social media accounts that campaigned against donating to the Chief Minister's Disaster Relief Fund, following the Wayanad landslide incidents.
The State Police Media Centre (SPMC) said here that 194 such posts were found on social media, and notices were sent to social media platforms to remove them.
Out of the 14 FIRs registered across the state, four are in Thiruvananthapuram City, two each in Kochi city and Palakkad and one each in Kollam city, Ernakulam Rural, Thrissur City, Malappuram, Wayanad, and Thiruvananthapuram Rural, it said in a release here.
Police said to monitor fake campaigns against the Chief Minister's Disaster Relief Fund, cyber patrolling on social media has been intensified.
"Legal action will be taken against those creating and sharing such posts," the police warned.
The social media campaign was launched after Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had called upon everyone to contribute to the Chief Minister's Disaster Relief Fund (CMDRF) in order to help those affected by the landslides.
Meanwhile, the office of Leader of the Opposition in the Kerala Assembly, V D Satheesan, filed a complaint with the state police chief against a fake social media campaign that claimed he had appealed to not contribute to the Chief Minister's Disaster Relief Fund in the wake of the Wayanad disaster.
The complaint states that such fake campaigns are being carried out with the ulterior motive of creating political divisions among the people when the state is unitedly facing a disaster.
It demands immediate legal action against those who created and spread fake news in the name of the opposition leader.
However, amidst the online smear campaigns discouraging people from sending funds to the Chief Minister's Distress Relief Fund (CMDRF), donations poured in from various quarters, with celebrities and institutions offering lakhs of rupees and some even pledging to construct houses for those who lost everything in the devastating landslides that hit Kerala's Wayanad.
The campaign was aimed at motivating people to reject the CM's appeal for disaster relief, it said.
Tamil actors, including Kamal Haasan, Surya, Vikram, Karthi and Jyothika, donated to the CMDRF.
Malayalam stars Mammootty, his son Dulquer Salman, Fahad Faasil, and Nazriya, among others, also donated to the relief fund for Wayanad.
While Haasan donated Rs 25 lakh, Jyothika, Surya, and Karthi together donated Rs 50 lakh.
Mammootty donated Rs 20 lakh and Dulquer gave Rs 15 lakh.
Fahad and Nazriya donated Rs 25 lakh.
Noted film maker Anand Patwardhan on Thursday donated Rs 2,20,000 which he bagged as prize money in the recently concluded 16th International Documentary and Short Film Festival of Kerala (IDSFFK).
Kerala CM orders withdrawal of controversial note restricting scientists' comments on landslides
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has directed Chief Secretary V. Venu to retract a contentious note issued by the State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA). The note had instructed science and technology institutions in Kerala to refrain from sharing their assessments and study reports with the media concerning the recent deadly landslides.
In a statement released on Thursday night, Vijayan clarified that the SDMA's directive—restricting scientific institutions and experts from visiting the disaster-stricken Meppadi panchayat in Wayanad and from expressing their views—was incorrect. He emphasized, "The state government does not have such a policy."
Vijayan further stated that he had instructed the chief secretary to promptly withdraw the communication that conveyed these restrictions.
The note, prepared by State Relief Commissioner and Principal Secretary of Disaster Management, Tinku Biswal, had been met with strong opposition from the scientific community. It had barred field visits by scientific institutions to Meppadi panchayat, where severe landslides occurred on Tuesday, claiming numerous lives.
The controversial note also mandated that any studies or reports regarding the disaster-affected area required prior approval from the Kerala State Disaster Management Authority (KSDMA).
The devastating landslides in Wayanad on Tuesday morning resulted in at least 190 deaths and left many injured. With nearly 200 people still missing, the death toll is anticipated to increase.
